Kony2012 Kony2012 Kony2012
March 12th, 2012 | News | No Comments »Story and picture by Renita Naraine
The Kony2012 campaign promotes and raises awareness about the Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony. #StopKony
Kony 2012 – if you haven’t heard a single thing about it, you might be living under a rock with dial-up internet. If you don’t know what it is, but you’ve seen it all over your Facebook and Twitter feeds, watch Invisible Children’s video.
Joseph Kony abducts children in Uganda. The boys become child soldiers while the girls become sex slaves. But, of course, there’s so much more to it than that.
I understand the concept of the video and believe there are justified reasons behind promoting Kony 2012 to this extent, but there are also (always) the non-believers. As easy as it was for the campaign to go viral, it’s just as easy to find the many skeptics who are calling it fake, to questioning the producers’ motives, to profiling the organization’s finances. Vice.com has an interesting article on “Invisible Children.” All true, but is that really the topic at hand?
I guess if you wanted to donate to the cause, then all the details would matter. However, when I first watched the 30-minute video, my first impression had nothing to do with money or the people behind the video.
They are looking to be heard in efforts of capturing Kony; make him famous for his cruelties and give the children a voice.
If you could help one child, anywhere in the world, would you?
I’m not quite sure what harm could come of a Facebook status or tweet to raise awareness about children in need. My objective was not to promote Invisible Children, though I may have done that unintentionally, but rather to draw attention to the cause.
Personally, I think we should be tweeting more about the injustices in the world. There are many children around the world without a voice. Organizations like Free the Children have been successful promoting awareness and proving that we can help, at any age.
The difference – they don’t just draw attention, they take action and their voices are heard in so many different ways.
Whether it’s a tweet or a meme, which I find a bit offensive, but if it grabs your attention, then all the more power to it. A big part of Kony 2012 is to get the word out.
Watch the video on YouTube, share an article on Facebook or add the hashtag #StopKony in a tweet – I believe it is helping to make a difference.
At the very least, you learned something new and maybe it inspired some future Kielburgers. Promote it or don’t, but the Kony 2012 campaign is here and now you know.
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